The Clockwork Ghost
by materp.c
Summary: Short one-shot the Doctor and Adric land in the midst of a theatre, on chance meeting with the theatre's resident ghost the Doctor takes a keen interest. There's no such thing as Ghosts, right? please read and review!


**The clockwork ghost.**

"Are you coming or am I leaving you?" The Doctor called into the corridor.

"No, no I'm coming!" A voice replied.

The Doctor sighed, putting on his wide-rimed hat and winding his scarf once more around his neck. They would miss the performance at this rate.

"I'm ready." Adric declared, entering the room.

"Finally!" The Doctor exclaimed wasting no more time in getting out the TARDIS doors.

He took one step out the door and found himself greeted by a united giggle from a packed audience seated in a theatre, watching a play that he had just ruined. Making the most of the awkward situation the Doctor bowed elaborately and then made a comic stage 'shh' creeping off the stage.

Adric prevented himself from the humiliation by taking the backstage route to the right side of the stage, where the Doctor was making an effort to apologize to the manager for interrupting the play.

Knowing it was going to be more hassle then was worth, Adric pulled the Doctor away from the troubled manager.

On the way out of the backstage area, the Doctor bumped into an actor in renaissance costume. "Sorry, didn't see you there!" the Doctor apologized. The actor said nothing. Not a word. All that could be heard was the ticking of the clock.

"Rude." The Doctor commented, continuing on.

They were almost out the door when the Doctor grabbed Adric's arm.

"Clocks! I distinctly heard a clock but there were no clocks. Only when that actor…!"

Not fully understanding the Doctor's train of thought, Adric let himself be dragged back the way they had come.

"Did you see a man in renaissance costume come this way?" the Doctor asked the first person he saw.

"Renaissance costume?" the man echoed. The Doctor waited eagerly.

"Hope you're prepared to die!" the man stated. "You've just seen our resident ghost, was he accompanied by a ticking of clock? Cause if so you'll be dead by the end of the week, probably missing a limb or something, most peculiar way to go!"

The Doctor stared at the man, he had a distinct disbelief in ghosts yet he had clearly seen the apparition, he even bumped into him. Something wasn't right here.

Letting the man get about his work, the Doctor and Adric took a moment to think. It was merely a second. The 'ghost' appeared again.

"Follow it!" the Doctor exclaimed as Adric began to chase it round the corner, the Doctor followed behind, confident in his assistant.

Adric let out a muffled scream and the Doctor quickened his stride to find the corridor empty.

"Adric?"

There was no way he could have gotten down the corridor in that short time and there were no rooms. The Doctor paced the width of the corridor, he felt a distinctive change from the left to the right. There was a disruption in the air as if someone had teleported in that exact place. Of course, teleportation!

Taking his sonic screwdriver out the Doctor used it to determine the co-ordinates and then rushed to the TARDIS using the co-ordinates to reach Adric.

Materializing on a deserted spaceship the Doctor emerged hopefully.

He was only partially lucky. He had found Adric but he had a lethal robotic knife at his neck. "Doctor!" Adric yelled through gritted teeth.

"Excuse me, let's see what are you? Arh yes, clearly a robot made of clockwork!" the Doctor circled the robot conveniently moving its arm away from Adric in order to get past.

"Must complete task!" the Robot screeched yanking its arm back to Adric's neck.

"What task is that then?"

"Complete ship."

"Oh?"

"Brain is compatible, will be used to make ship run."

"What his brain?! Ha! He can't even think himself out of trouble!"

The robot dropped his knife, reconsidering his move.

"Not compatible. Compatible." The robot had turned to the Doctor, knife raised, move decided.

"Ah, now, you see, I'm not altogether sure that's a wise idea…" seeing his predicament the Doctor's mind raced.

Scrambling from the floor, Adric quickly assessed the situation and came up with a radical solution. Picking up a large piece of rubble that was lying next to him, Adric threw the object at the robot's spine causing it to break and the robot to tumble down.

"Let's get out of this place Doctor." Adric said climbing over the robot, heading to the TARDIS.

"Do you know what Adric, I do agree." The Doctor replied closing the TARDIS door behind him.


End file.
